Take Me in Your Arms
by lightblue-Nymphadora
Summary: Rachel and Santana are missing Tina. They invite her over after a hard week. Start of something wonderful? Just possibly... Written for Santinchel Week on Tumblr
1. Getting Tina

_**LbN: Written for Santinchel Week on Tumblr. Prompt was "Falling in love/Getting the third". xPosted.**_

Santana dropped the grocery bags on the table and sidled up to Rachel. She wrapped her arms around her girlfriend and kissed her shoulder. "Hey baby."

"Afternoon, Santana," Rachel said, turning her head for a kiss. "Do you want to order dinner or cook?"

"Order," she said, pulling Rachel away from the counter and over to the couch. She pulled the younger girl down on top of her and kissed her. "I missed you this week."

"Midterms are from the devil."

"Preach."

Rachel giggled and snuggled into her girlfriend. "Have you heard from Tina today?"

"No. I haven't heard from her at all this week."

"Me either. I'm starting to get worried."

"She started library observation today," Santana said, rubbing circles on Rachel's back. "She's probably just busy. Our little vampire's going to be a librarian," Santana said, chuckling.

"I must say, I was surprised. I always thought she'd take the acting route. But it does fit her well."

"I'll say. Can you imagine how hot the whole vampire librarian thing will be?"

"Stop perving on our not-yet-girlfriend."

Santana smiled. They'd been indulging in one of their B-movie and alcohol nights last November when (after two bottles of Moscato) Santana had become very forthcoming with various bits of information. One of these things was that she had an intense crush on Tina. She'd been elated to find out that Rachel did too. They hadn't said anything yet, but were plotting various ways to woo the younger girl.

"Do you want me to try and call her?" Santana asked.

"Please? Just to check on her. Invite her over, too. It's Friday, she should be able to come out."

"Right. Order dinner and I'll call our favorite Asian."

Rachel rolled her eyes as she got off the couch.

Santana rummaged through her purse for a moment to find her phone. She held down the number five and listened to it ring.

"_Hello?"_

"Tina?" Santana asked. "You sound awful, baby girl. Are you okay?"

"…_no…."_

"Hey…what's up? Don't cry." She shrugged at Rachel when the other girl gave her a confused look. "What's wrong T? Do you want me to come over?"

"_I'm just so tired."_

"Okay, I'm on my way. You're staying with us this weekend."

"_You don't have to—"_

"Save it. Rachel and I were going to invite you over anyway. We miss you, T. I'll be there in twenty."

"What's going on?" Rachel asked as Santana hung up.

"Tina sounds like death warmed over," she said. "I'm going to go get her. What'd you order?"

"Italian. I got a large pizza and a family-sized pasta bowl for us to share. It should be here by the time you get back."

Santana nodded and gave her a kiss.

* * *

The Syracuse freshmen dorms were chaotic, but Santana figured that was the norm for a Friday night. She wandered through the halls, finally stopping at Tina's door. Knocking once, she pushed it open to find Tina curled up in bed. Her roommate was nowhere in sight.

"T?"

"Hi Santana," the younger girl croaked.

"What's up, baby girl?" Santana knelt next to the bed and smoothed Tina's hair back.

"This week has been awful," she said.

"What happened?"

"I failed a test, so now I have to write an essay to make it up. I've generally felt like shit for a couple of weeks now. Mike broke up with me for good, which all the girls on my hall said was inevitable."

"Wait, what? Why? Because of the long distance thing?"

"Because, in their words, there's no way I could compete with the dancers he's hanging around in London."

Santana managed to keep her boiling rage in check, and not go administer door to door decapitations. "No London dancer with bad teeth has anything on you, baby girl. Come on, Rachel ordered dinner. We'll eat and watch superhero movies."

"Sounds good to me," Tina said, smiling slightly.

"Grab a bag. We're kidnapping you for the weekend."

* * *

That was the start. Tina, cuddled up between Santana and Rachel, watching Avengers Assemble. Two goodnight kisses, one on the forehead and one on the shoulder. A relaxing Saturday in Central Park, and a fun Sunday playing video games.

"I don't want to leave," Tina muttered Sunday night.

"I don't blame you," Santana joked. "Rachel and I are very addicting." She and Rachel pulled Tina into a double hug. "You can call us any time. You know that right?"

"I know."

"And if you need to escape your dorm, just let us know," Rachel said. "Come on, I'll walk you back."

"Bye, Santana," Tina said, blushing slightly.

Once they were out on the street, Rachel linked arms with Tina and smiled at her. "It's okay, you know."

"What?" Tina asked.

"That you like her."

"…I don't know what you're talking about…." Tina said, not meeting Rachel's eyes.

"She likes you too."

Tina looked up at her then.

"It's okay," Rachel said, wrapping an arm around Tina's waist. "So do I."

"I…I don't…"

"Tina," Rachel said gently, stopping them. "It's okay." She kissed the younger girl on the forehead and took her hand. "Let's talk."


	2. First Date

**Take Me in Your Arms**

Tina looked around her room and sighed. She had no idea what she was going to wear. It had been a better week in about a million ways—starting with Rachel's "We're into you, but don't want to pressure you" talk on Sunday. She'd spent the rest of the day thinking over every possible way that could've been a cruel joke, and had come to the conclusion that—holy shit—they actually liked her. LIKED her, liked her. It was more than slightly overwhelming, but at least now she didn't feel guilty about her not-so-subtle crush on Santana.

Monday morning, her professor had given her time to think about her current situation in the form of a writing assignment. Out to prove that absolutely anyone could write something Twilight-esque better than Stephanie Meyer, she'd told them to do a love triangle story. It had to include a few other things, but Tina went meta and used her current situation of being the (possible) middle of a Berry-Lopez sandwich. By the time she was finished writing, she found she liked the idea. Really liked the idea.

That was fortunate, because Tuesday was when the flirty texts started. To be fair, Rachel's were the same as always, but now Tina was noticing the innuendo. Santana, on the other hand, ramped it up to what Tina thought was a ten. Rachel assured her that the older girl was, in fact, holding back the naughty so she wouldn't freak Tina out.

Thursday, they asked her out officially.

Which brought her to now—Friday afternoon, staring around her dorm at all the different outfits, trying to pick the perfect one.

"Whoa, Ohio," her roommate said, walking in. She tiptoed across the room, dodging Tina's clothes. "Hurricane Chang hit our room, looks like."

"I'm going out tonight, Dianna. I don't know what to wear."

"Going out? On a date?" Dianna asked, clapping. "Damn, girl, you work fast!"

"It's not a date, it's a…."

"Sure," Dianna said, smirking. "Just remember, for the first three months, you should stick to a strict No-Dicks-In-Your-Mouth rule."

"Not a problem," Tina muttered.

"Oh? OH!" Dianna said, realization hitting her. "Gotcha. Well, go get her, girl! Wear the red and black daughter of Satan outfit. It's hot."

* * *

"Calm down, T," Santana said. "It's still just us."

They were at a Mexican restaurant down the street from NYADA. Tina had been nervous all night, but had avoided any major disasters. Fortunately, both other girls seemed to find this extremely endearing.

"I know," Tina said. "Still…."

"Look, we know this is uber weird," Santana said. "But we'll figure it out together, okay?"

"Sounds good."

"What did your teacher say about your story?" Rachel asked slyly.

"Oh god…."

"What? What about a story?" Santana asked.

"I may have worked through my apprehension in the form of a writing assignment earlier this week," Tina said.

"She rewrote Twilight."

"I'm Jacob, right?"

"Wait, why do I have to be Edward?" Rachel asked.

"I like how you both assume that I'm Bella," Tina said, grinning. "No, we were totally different. There was no fighting over my character. And neither of you sparkled."

Santana and Rachel laughed as the waiter arrived with their food.

* * *

"I had a great time, you guys."

"Good, baby girl," Santana said, smiling. She pulled her in for a hug. "We aim to please."

Rachel hugged her then, and frowned over her shoulder at the obviously drunk hockey players that were making a racket in the courtyard. "Maybe we should walk you in."

"They're always like that," Tina said, shrugging.

"Still," Santana said. "Come on, we'll walk you to your dorm."

Tina smiled at the pair of them and nodded.

The hockey boys didn't give them any trouble (in fact, one offered to share his Sour Patch Straws), but some random drunken idiots in the lounge decided to throw ping pong balls at them as they passed. They made it up to Tina's room without any other incident however.

Tina scowled at the door.

"What's wrong?" Rachel asked.

Tina pointed to the bright purple rubber band hanging from her doorknob. "I've been sexciled."

Santana snorted and threw an arm around her. "No worries, you can stay with us."

"This is becoming a thing, isn't it? Weekend sleepovers with Santinchel."

"That sounds like a late night porn-slash-talk show," Rachel quipped as they walked back down the stairs.

They dodged more ping pong balls and exited into the cool night air.

"I vote for fro-yo," Santana said. "We'll pass Gilbert's Ice Cream Shack on the way back."

"I can't stand him," Rachel said. "He always stares at my chest."

"Want me to castrate him, babe?" Santana offered.

Tina laughed before realizing her oldest new girlfriend was serious. "Santana, you can't go around castrating people," she said, trying not to smile.

"And why not? I'm simply defending the honor of one of my ladies."

Tina beamed down at her shoes. "You'd get thrown in jail. Then Rachel and I would have to stage a jail break before some butch inmate named Fang could get all up in that."

Rachel had to lean against a tree she was laughing so hard.

Santana hugged Tina, grinning. "Holy fuck, never change."

The three of them continued through the streets of New York and grabbed their frozen yogurt. Apparently the combined power of Santana and Tina's murderous glares was enough to keep Gilbert from leering down Rachel's t-shirt.

"We make a great team," the diva said.

"Damn straight."

"This might be the best first date ever," Tina commented.

"Might?" both of the other girls asked.

"Definitely. Definitely is…."


	3. Moving In?

**Take Me in Your Arms**

Santana danced around to 80s music as she cooked. She never got to do this—Rachel was usually home before her. Surprising the diva with dinner was nigh on impossible, but she'd gotten there first today! Turning around to taste the lentil and carrot soup, she nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Rachel leaning in the doorway, looking amused.

"Jesus, woman!" Santana said, taking her headphones off. "You nearly gave me a heart attack! How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know that you groove to Taylor Dayne when I'm not around. What's for dinner?"

"Soup and sandwiches. Did you call Tina today?"

"Not yet. I was just about to. I haven't heard from her in a few days, which is weird."

"Really? I hadn't either," Santana said, frowning. "I just assumed she was talking to you. Or was busy."

"I'll call her—"

Santana's phone started buzzing at that moment.

"Speak of the devil," she said, smiling and picking up the call. "Hey T. We were just about to—"

"_Is this Santana Lopez?"_

"Yes…. Who is this?"

"_My name is Doctor Patrick Young. I'm with Claudia Hershel Memorial Hospital. Your friend Tina came in about an hour ago. We're releasing her, but someone needs to come pick her up. She asked me to call you."_

"What happened? Is she okay?"

"_She's fine. She had a panic attack today, brought on by exhaustion. We see it a lot during finals—especially with the freshmen and seniors. Anyway, we've been monitoring her, and she's okay. We just don't want her walking home alone."_

"I'll be there in twenty minutes."

"Who was that?" Rachel asked.

"Some doctor at Memorial. Tina had a panic attack."

* * *

"Right," Rachel said, cuddling up next to Tina after the dishes were finished. "Explain."

"Do I have to?" the younger girl whined.

"Yes," Santana said. "How exactly did you end up in the hospital today?"

Tina sighed, taking both of their hands. "I…wait, first you have to promise you won't get upset."

"I already went Lima Heights on your nurse, so all my rage is spent for the day. No worries," Santana teased.

"I promise I won't go off the deep end, but you may not be able to avoid a powerpoint on the importance of proper rest."

"Brought that on yourself, T," Santana said, grinning.

"Right…anyway, I just haven't been sleeping very well."

"Nice try, baby girl. Details."

"My roommate is a sex addict…. Knew that from the start, but she started bringing her two boy toys back more frequently in the last two months. My hallway keeps having parties, two of which got busted. The cops were there until four in the morning both times. Tried sleeping in the library, but campus security does thirty minute checks after midnight to make sure no one's…I don't know, cooking meth in the study rooms or anything."

"When was the last proper night's sleep you had?" Rachel asked.

"Um…our third date?"

"That was two weeks ago!" Santana yelped.

"Hey, you promised no Lima Heights…."

"That wasn't Lima Heights. Trust me."

"Tina, why didn't you tell us? You could've just stayed here."

"I didn't want to bother you two," she mumbled.

"You're our girlfriend! You're not bothering anyone."

"Yeah, but…you know, it's just you two…."

Santana smiled at her and pulled her and Rachel into a surprisingly comfortable three-way hug. "Look…just because Rachel and I have been together longer, that doesn't mean we think us two are more important than us three."

"What Santana's trying to say is, next time you're stressed you better come to us, woman."

Tina smiled and nodded.

"How are you feeling now?" Santana asked, kissing her.

"Okay. Still kind of tired, but not awful."

"I'll go pick some movies. Let's get ready for bed."

* * *

"Oh dear god, not a powerpoint!"

"I told you."

"Stop it, both of you!" Rachel said, pouting. "I made breakfast. You two just have to listen."

"Could you give it to us in a nutshell? I haven't had my three cups of coffee yet."

"Fine—bare minimum. Tina should move in with us."

"Damn! One sentence! I think that's a record," Santana said.

"Be nice, S," Tina said. "You want me to move in?"

"I think it would be beneficial to exploring our newfound relationship, and getting you out of the abyss that is the Syracuse dormitory system."

"Well…I'd love to, so long as Santana's cool with it."

"You know I am, baby girl."

"One problem…."

"What's that?" Rachel asked, closing the presentation.

"My parents are shelling out cash for college. They want me to have the real experience, meaning dorms, not an apartment. I'd have to convince them."

"Have Rachel call them," Santana said. "She convinced my mom to let me take a three week long unpaid internship in Portugal last summer."

"Give me your phone. I've got this."

"Should I be worried?" Tina asked.

"Probably," Santana muttered.

"Hush. Phone please!"

"Okay, Sophia!" Rachel said, emerging from the bedroom.

"Holy shit, she's on first name terms with my mom already?" Tina whispered.

"I told you," Santana said. "Magic with parents, that one."

"Sure thing! I'd love to come to a lecture on art history this summer. It sounds fascinating! Okay, here she is."

Tina took her phone back as Rachel mouthed "She doesn't know about us…."

"Hi Mom."

"_Hi darling! How are you feeling?"_

"Tons better. I have my last test tomorrow."

"_So long as you're feeling better, that's what's important. Now, your charming friend Rachel had a wonderful idea. She says that she and Santana were looking for a new roommate, and that they'd love for you to move in. Would you want to?"_

"Definitely."

"_Right, well, considering all the nonsense that's taken place in your dorm this year, I think it would be better for you if you did move in with them next term. We'll come up to look at the apartment of course, but for now I'd say yes. And make sure you bring them over for supper when you come home!"_

"I will, Mom. I should go to bed now, but I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

"_Okay. Have a good night."_

"How?" Tina asked, hanging up the phone.

"Practice," Rachel said simply.


	4. Hangover

**Take Me in Your Arms**

Tina laughed as she put her hair up into pigtails. This was the brightest outfit she'd ever worn. Ever. Both Santana and Rachel had agreed that going as a vampire would not count. She hadn't told them her Halloween costume plans, but she was pretty sure they were going to fall over laughing. At least that's what she hoped…she'd almost broken her "no sex until Christmas" rule the last time she'd changed her wardrobe at all. She'd worn a new outfit for her fashion design class, and Santana had pounced on her exactly three seconds after she walked through the door. Half of said outfit had been on the floor before Tina blew the whistle.

"Tina!" Rachel called. "Are you almost ready?"

"I am ready," she said, opening the bedroom door. She grinned when she saw their faces.

Santana looked like she might faint, and Rachel was opening and closing her mouth like a fish.

"Think I make a convincing Rainbow Brite?"

"We're not going to this party," Santana said.

"Oh no; nice try. It's our first Halloween together, and this is my favorite holiday. We're going to this party," Tina said. "What the hell are you, Rachel?"

"Cloudy with a chance of showers," she said, pointing to the shower cap.

Tina laughed.

"I was nowhere near as creative," Santana said. "Queen of Hearts as always."

"She tried to get me to go as Alice, but I thought that was a bit too dysfunctional."

"Ready to go, you guys?"

"Yeah. Let's party!" Tina said.

* * *

"Damn, that's the finest rainbow I ever did see!"

"Shut up, Jory," Santana said, smiling. "And don't hit on my girlfriends."

"Whatever," he said. "Candy like a mofo over by the chocolate bar. Sandwiches and drinks are over by the DJ. Welcome to Kappa Halloween Bash!"

"Dance with me?" Rachel asked Tina.

"Okay," Tina said. She turned to Santana. "Coming?"

"I'm going to grab a drink and say hey to a couple of the guys. Go dance. I'll be back in a minute."

* * *

"Eurgh…." Tina said, cuddling closer to Rachel.

"Shh…" Rachel muttered. "Too loud."

"A little hungover, ladies?" Santana whispered. "Try to sit up, baby girl. Here's water and aspirin. Rae bear, come on. I'll leave you both alone after you get some meds and breakfast in you."

"Please don't talk about food," Tina groaned.

"You guys should've taken it easy with the Witches' Potions…." Santana said.

"You had eight of them!" Rachel whined.

"Eleven. And I've been drinking since I was six months old."

"Don't exaggerate," Tina said. "It's too early."

"It's eleven o'clock," Santana said, smiling.

"Wipe the grin off your face."

"Can't. You two are too cute."

"What happened last night?"

"Well…you two danced for a while. Then the Kappas talked you into trying Pumpkin Piss Vodka. Tina got drunk first, somehow. I tried cutting you off after you had a few Black Cats—"

"What are those?"

"Blue Curacao, gin, vodka, rum, triple sec, Sprite, and Chambord. Normally called Black Superman, but they changed the name for Halloween. Anyway, I tried to cut you off, but Rachel kept sneaking away to hit the cauldron again."

"I did?"

"Yeah. And then you two found the karaoke machine. Benji and Walker did some duets with you, and then they got Rainbow Brite here to do a keg stand. Which, by the way, was the most impressive one I've ever seen. After that, they did bobbing for apples in bourbon, which Rachel won. If I had to guess, I'd say the hangover is less because of the amount you drank (though that was impressive) and more because you sampled every type of alcohol in existence—to include absinthe."

"Eurgh…."

Santana kissed both girls on the forehead, and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm going to go make some cinnamon toast. Think you can stomach some orange juice?" She jumped back when both girls retched. "Okay, that's a no. Don't worry. Go back to sleep and I'll wake you up in a while for some toast."

She smiled fondly as both girls sank back under the covers. She walked back out to the kitchen and sent a text.

_Rockin' party, but you guys got my ladies hung over. I think they're swearing off alcohol for a while. Peace out- S._

* * *

Tina and Rachel stumbled downstairs about two hours later, looking wrecked.

"French toast sticks are on the counter," Santana said, looking up from Game of Thrones.

"Thought there was toast?"

"I didn't want to wake you guys up and it would've gotten gross. Feeling better?"

"No," Tina whined, cuddling next to her.

"My brain isn't pounding in my ears anymore," Rachel said. "That's an improvement."

"No more alcohol."

"Ever."


	5. Sleeping Arrangements

**Take Me in Your Arms**

"Can you not sleep?" Rachel asked.

"No."

"What's wrong?"

"It feels weird without Santana."

"I know. I miss her too. But, it's a… thing."

"It's weird. When I first moved in, I didn't quite believe you."

"You knew us in high school. We'd kill each other if we didn't do this."

"But you're dating! You've come a long way since—"

"The non-stop bitching matches? The sniping at each other? That's where it goes if we don't do this."

Tina chuckled. "I remember the first time you two did this after I moved in."

* * *

"_The last box is unpacked, and we are finished!" Tina said to herself. She took a deep breath walked into the bathroom. After tossing her clothes into the hamper, she jumped into the cold spray of the shower. She rolled her eyes when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. "Hey Santana."_

"_Baby girl. Finished putting all of your kitchen stuff away. Done with everything else?"_

"_Mmhmm. Where's Rach?"_

"_Er… about that…there's something else we need to tell you. It hadn't really come up until now, because you hadn't moved in yet."_

"_Is this where you kill me and hide my body under the floorboards?"_

_Santana laughed and then yelped when Tina slapped her hands away._

"_Keep your hands away from any no-no zones."_

"_Fine," she whined. _

"_So where's Rachel?"_

"_She's taking a break. We do it every now and then to make sure we're not on the brink of killing each other. Which brings me to point number two," she said, running her fingers through Tina's hair. "I'll be in the guest room tonight."_

"_Huh?"_

"_Self-imposed banishment to the dog house. Rachel and I are pretty in tune with one another's…er…triggers. She's about to go to the yelling place with me, so I'm going to take a time out."_

"_Wait, wait…you're saying you sleep apart every once in a while?"_

"_Yep. That's the long and short of it."_

"_Okay…so…"_

"_You sleep with Rachel," Santana said in answer to her girlfriend's unanswered question. "It's okay. It's not just Rae. It's for me too. Sometimes I need a night on my own."_

"_Weird."_

"_But necessary."_

"_Does Rachel ever sleep in the guest room?"_

"_Only when I've MAJORLY fucked up."_

"_So we're all sleeping together unless one of us needs a time out or someone's in the doghouse?"_

"_Got it, baby girl."_

* * *

"You took it better than your mom did," Rachel quipped, smirking a bit.

"I'm just relieved she didn't put two and two together for once in her life."

"Yes…I suppose you'll have to tell them sometime, but two weeks after you got moved in doesn't seem like the time to do it…."

* * *

"_Did you hear that?" Santana asked, pausing the movie. _

"_What?"_

"_Sounded like someone knocking." _

_Rachel scooted out of bed and went into the hall. "Yeah, there it was again."_

"_Come back. Anyone who needs us at this time of night can call."_

_Tina's phone rang at that moment._

"_Mom?" she said, picking up._

"_Hi, darling! I was trying to surprise you, but it's late. I should've known you wouldn't be answering your door."_

"_That's you at the door?" _

"_Yes. Could you come let me in? It's been a long trip."_

"_It's your mom?" Santana squeaked. _

"_Surprise," Tina huffed, making her way to the living room. She'd barely opened the door when her mom enveloped her in a hug. _

"_Oh, I'm so excited to see you!"_

"_It's only been three weeks since I left Lima."_

"_I know…just not used to the whole empty nest thing. Well, I'll need a blanket and a pillow. The couch looks extra comfy."_

"_We have an extra room," Tina said without thinking._

_Her mom gave her a surprised look. "But I thought this was a two bedroom apartment. Where do you sleep?"_

_Rachel, ever the one on her toes, answered first. "We were having a girls' weekend. You know, movies, junk food. So we're all in my room. You can take Tina's room."_

"_Oh! Of course. Thank you, dear."_

_The three girls gave each other a look before leading the way down the hall._

"_Well," Tina's mom said, smiling around the guest room. "This is cute. Not very you, though, Tina. Finally breaking that god awful vampire streak?"_

_Tina took a deep breath and closed her eyes. _

"_Er…Sophia? I'm sure it was a long trip. Are you hungry?"_

"_Oh, no, Rachel. Thank you. I think I'll just wash my face and head to bed."_

"_Bathroom's across the hall."_

"_Thanks. Tomorrow's Saturday, and I'm taking you all to breakfast. Goodnight, girls."_

* * *

Tina sighed. "Can we bring Santana back, please?"

Rachel gigglied. "Sure. Go tell her to do her self-imposed time out tomorrow."


	6. How the Families Found Out

**Take Me in Your Arms**

"Let it snow, let it snow…baby it's cold, but the fire's blazing, so baby let it snow," Santana sang along with the radio.

"Someone's in a good mood," her mom said. "Making…what are you making?"

"Gingerbread," Santana told her. "I'm going over to Rachel's later, and I wanted to take something."

"Oh, good. Make sure you clean up after you cook."

"Where are you and dad going?"

"Weekend-long Christmas gala in Chicago. We'll be back Christmas day in the afternoon. You don't have to wait to open presents if you don't want to." She leaned in and kissed Santana on the forehead. "Have fun with your friends."

"You too. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"So I have free reign, then?"

"Ha ha ha," Santana said, rolling her eyes.

* * *

_**Fr: Santana-**_

_**Prnts r gone until Tues. Come over this weekend?**_

Tina smiled down at her phone and then groaned when her mom called her down for dinner. She was already missing Rachel's Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanza party. She wasn't really in the "family time" mood.

_**Fr: Tina-**_

_**Gladly. Parents driving me cray cray.**_

"Tina Alise, I'd prefer it if you didn't make the whole family wait," Sophia Cohen-Chang said. "Please don't pout. You can see your friends another time."

"Fine."

"Tina, what is that?" her father asked.

"What?"

"On your wrist."

"Nothing."

"Don't lie, Tina. Is that a tattoo?"

She sat quietly for a moment. "Yes."

"Of?"

It was a trap—she knew it—but she rolled up her sleeve and showed him the gold star and scorpion.

"Tina, have you joined a gang?" her mother shrieked.

"No! Of course I haven't!"

"Then what on earth would posses you to get a picture of a scorpion tattooed on your body?"

"It was just…an impulse. I wanted one and my friend's a really good artist. She designed it for me."

Her dad rolled his eyes and popped a few Tums.

"I just hope you remember what you were thinking in a few years when you can't get a job because of that," her mom snapped.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Don't get smart with me!"

"You know what? I'm out," Tina said. She slid her chair in calmly and grabbed her coat from the hook.

* * *

"No one else turned up?" Tina asked Santana.

"Glee for the win," Santana grumbled.

"Don't be grumpy," Rachel said, smiling slightly. "We'll have a good time tonight anyway. We're going to watch A Christmas Story and eat cookies."

"And my epic gingerbread," Santana added.

"And your epic gingerbread." Rachel set the plates of snacks on the table and walked over to the door when the bell rang.

"Bet it's Hummel. He's always fashionably late," Santana quipped.

"Uh…Tina?"

"Rachel, who is it?" Leroy called from upstairs.

"It's Tina's mom and dad."

"Shit."

The Berry fathers came down to talk to Tina's parents. Rachel shuffled back into the living room mouthing "What the hell?"

"Tattoo…" Tina whispered.

As one, the girls all looked at their left wrists, and tried to nonchalantly hide their hands behind their backs. It didn't work.

"Oh really? Yeah, Rachel came home with a tattoo as well. You know…college student rite of passage. Some kind of butterfly and scorpion thing."

"Scorpion?"

"We're fucked," Santana whispered.

The parents walked into the room a moment later.

"Something you need to tell us?" Tina's father asked.

"It's a gang…I'm telling you," Sophia lamented.

"I'm not in a gang!"

"Why do you all have matching tattoos, then?" Hiram asked.

Leroy, who until this moment had been silent, smirked. "They don't. Tina has a star and a scorpion. Rachel has a butterfly and a scorpion. And I'm betting Santana has a star and a butterfly."

The girls looked at each other, panicked.

"I've always had a way with puzzles," Leroy said, chuckling. "Sophia, James, can I offer you a drink? Then maybe these three can explain everything more fully."

* * *

"It could have gone worse," Santana mused later.

"Could have gone worse?" Tina asked. "My mom went straight to the old country. Shaming my ancestors? I hadn't heard that one since Mike's grandmother caught me eating Twinkies…."

"Yeah, but your dad calmed her down," Rachel said, snuggling her from behind. "And he calmed my dad down too…. Usually Daddy's the high-strung one."

"I heard that!" Leroy called from down the hall.

"How does he do that?" Tina asked.

"Should've been here the time he caught me sneaking in through her window," Santana muttered.

"Anyway, I'm sure your mom will come around."

"Let's hope so."

"So…" Rachel whispered. "It's Christmas."

"Technically it's the day before Christmas Eve…."

"Timeline, is all I'm saying."

"And I thought Santana was the horn dog…" Tina said, smirking.

"We're even actually," Santana told her, grinning. "She's just more vocal about it, usually. So what say we take advantage of the fact that the Berry men don't believe in open door rules?"

"Fine, but we'll have to take advantage of it again," Tina said, smiling as Rachel kissed her. "I left my 'Santa's Helper' lingerie at my house…."

"Never change, T."


	7. Insecurities

_**LbN: Puckleberry-anon requested some Insecure!Rachel being comforted. Here you go, mate! And yes, I know I made Finn uncharacteristically douchey... I needed him to be a jackass. More so than he already is. So no flames, plz!**_

Rachel breathed deeply as she reached for the doorknob. She quietly threw her jacket and bag on one of the dining room chairs and smiled, hearing her girlfriends in the kitchen. She moved slowly to the other room, muscles aching from the intense rehearsal that day.

"There's our show stopper!" Tina said.

"Can I ask why you two were discussing an episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic?" Rachel asked, amused.

"Brittany," the other two said together.

"Ah," Rachel said, laughing. Brittany had been in New York for a brief showcase the previous week, and had stayed with the trio.

"I'm cooking veggie goulash," Santana said. "Figured we'd do the whole dinner at a table like a normal family thing tonight."

"Since when are we normal?" Tina quipped.

"Touché, my lady," Santana said, grinning.

"I got a callback," Rachel blurted.

They both turned to look at her. She blushed and stared at the ground as she explained.

"Last week when Brittany was here, I had an audition. They called me Wednesday morning and asked if I could come in that afternoon. Everything was so crazy with Brittany being here, and Tina's event at the library and our families visiting, that I just…kept quiet about it. I didn't want to add to everyone's stress level, since it was so last minute."

"What?"

"Are you serious?"

Rachel smiled sheepishly. "I confess I did have less noble intentions as well. I didn't want to get your hopes up. I didn't want to get my hopes up even more. I figured it was just a fluke, and that it would be good casting experience. But I got a callback."

"What's the role?" Tina yelped.

"Wendla in Spring Awakening."

Tina let out an impressive fangirl squee. Santana just marched over and pulled Rachel into a hug.

"You total goober!" she grumbled. "'Adding to our stress levels'…sheesh. When's your next audition?"

"Next Friday. Guys?" Rachel said in a small voice. "I'm terrified."

Tina kissed her and held her tightly. "Don't be. You're amazing. All you can do is your best. And Rachel Berry's best is pretty damn spectacular."

"Preach," Santana said, stirring the vegetables.

"It's not just that it's a great part," Rachel said. "I've wanted this for so long. And I'm a senior. It's about to be make or break, songstress or waitress time. I just feel like…if I got this one, graduation wouldn't be such a scary prospect."

The other two nodded.

Santana whistled a few bars of The World of Your Body. "It'll still be scary, Rachel. Everything's changing. But that's good. Use that as your motivation, or whatever you theater people call it. Being scared of the future is one of Spring Awakening's themes, right?"

"Er…kind of, but not exact—"

"Work with me here, I'm trying to be supportive. Anyway, I think you'd make a great Wendla. And when graduation rolls around, whether or not you have some Broadway in your diet already, you'll still have more of Broadway to conquer. Like Tina said, your best is spectacular. Just let it shine through."

Rachel smiled at the two of them, and moved to help Santana with dinner.

* * *

Tina woke to the sound of Rachel crying for the third night in a row. "Santana," she whispered, shaking the older girl.

"Ermmph?"

"It's Rachel."

Santana sat up, completely still for a moment, and then sighed. "Nightmares."

"I didn't know she had nightmares."

"She hasn't in a long time. And when she does, they're usually not this bad." Santana pushed the blankets off of her and climbed out of bed.

Tina watched as she shuffled over to the bathroom door and opened it slowly. She couldn't hear their hushed conversation, but a second later, Santana was carrying Rachel back to bed. Tina snuggled against her as Santana got back into bed.

"San?" Rachel whispered hoarsely.

"Shh…go to sleep."

"You know I won't be able to. Can you please explain my subconscious's theatrics to Tina? I'm sure she's worried."

Santana sighed and turned on the bedside lamp. "Okay. But I'm the big spoon right now."

Rachel smiled and turned so that she was facing Tina. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, but her breathing was returning to normal.

"Remember when Rae and I got together our senior year?" Santana started off by asking.

"Yeah."

"And how everyone thought it was random and out of nowhere?"

"Double yeah."

"It wasn't. I'd been crushing on munchkin hard for god only knows how long. Q had been helping me send her love notes, little gifts, and desperate pleas not to marry Finn. All anonymously, of course. I could see this one was coming to her senses a bit—"

Rachel snorted at this.

"But it was senior year. Everyone was so pants-shittingly scared of gradation and everything changing, that it was easier to hold on to the familiar."

"Preach," Tina said.

"Anyway, D-Day came during her NYADA auditions…."

* * *

"_Hey, Rachel."_

"_Oh, hi Santana! Did Coach Sylvester keep you guys this long? What are you still doing here?"_

"_I came to support you. I want to watch your auditions," Santana said. "I know how much this means to you. And…well…you were right, the other day. We blew it these past three years. I blew it. But I want to spend the last part of the year getting it right."_

_Rachel smiled so brightly she thought her face would break. With a tiny squeak of happiness, she hugged Santana tightly. "Thank you! You have…no idea how much that means to me."_

"_How long until you start?"_

"_Eurgh…another hour of agony. But my secret admirer left me flowers, so that's two people on my side."_

"_Three. You know Kurt's jazzed for you too. And Finn."_

_At this, Rachel's face fell a bit._

"_What?" Santana asked._

"_He's not exactly happy with me right now. But it's not important. I'll deal with that later. All my energy is focused on this audition right now."_

"_Want my help at all? Do you need anything?"_

"_Actually…if you wouldn't mind…I left my bag of lemons in the car, and my pre-show regimen requires—"_

"_Warm water and lemon. Fork over the keys, Tiny." _

_Rachel smiled and handed them to Santana. "Thanks."_

* * *

"You know how sometimes it feels like the whole world can explode in the shortest amount of time ever?" Rachel asked Tina, yawning. "Like…one tiny moment can change everything?"

"Oh yeah," Tina said, thinking over the past couple of years.

"That's exactly what that day was for me."

* * *

_Rachel looked over her lines again. It was cake. She knew this character by heart, and rumor had it that she'd come out of the womb singing her audition piece. So long as she remembered to breathe and give it all she had…things would be okay. They had to be. She smiled and picked up one of the roses. Holding it to her lips, she thought about what the card had said: You may never be mine, or even know who this person was, but you should know that you are loved. I believe in you. You'll be amazing. _

"_What are you doing?"_

_Rachel's eyes snapped open at Finn's voice. She put the flower down and stood to face him. "You made it!"_

"_What were you doing?" he asked again, eyeing the flowers moodily._

"_Just thinking."_

"_About our future?"_

"_About…everything."_

"_You still haven't answered me."_

"_I need time, Finn," Rachel said. "Everything's changing so fast—"_

"_Don't bullshit me," he said quietly. "That's not it. You started getting your little love notes, probably from some obsessed freshman, and you liked the attention."_

"_I won't pretend being showered with harmless gifts isn't gratifying, but I am in no way encouraging it," she said. "And that has nothing to do with anything between us."_

"_It does! Whoever's doing this has you thinking that you're some sort of star. You're not, Rachel. You're just a kid with big, unreachable dreams. Just like every other wannabe actor and actress out there."_

"_Why are you—"_

"_Because you're being stupid!" Finn yelled. "You think you're going to nail this audition and fly off to New York and make all your dreams come true in a year—"_

"_I know it's going to take work, Finn, but this is the first step."_

"_The first step away from me."_

"_Is that what this is about? You don't want to go to New York? Then don't, Finn! But don't try to run me into the ground before an important audition just to get me to stay with you."_

"_Why not? I'm all you'll have in another four years. When you've gone through whatever program, and you're serving coffee at Starbucks or taking orders at Macaroni Grill—"_

"_Shut up, Finn!"_

"_No! You know why I proposed now, Rachel? Because I know that I'll never be able to do better than you. Not if I look for a million years. And I know you'll never be able to find anyone else who's willing to put up with your particular brand of psycho."_

_Rachel sat back in her chair, shaking her head and openly crying._

"_Knock it off!" Finn snapped. "You're going to have to give up this stupid dream sometime. The sooner, the better. You're not going to be some Broadway diva. You're going to end up with a useless degree…bitter at the world. And then you'll come back to me anyway. Making me wait is selfish…and I don't know that I want to. So, here it is," he said, kneeling down. He took the ring out of his pocket. "One last time. Will you marry me?"_

"…_no."_

"_What?" he yelled. _

"_No," she said, furiously wiping her tears away._

"_Fine." He picked up her flowers and slammed them into the trash can. "Your secret valentine made you think you were something special. Good luck finding someone else who will deal with you."_

"_She won't have to search that hard."_

_Finn wheeled around and Rachel's head snapped up. _

_Santana was standing in the doorway holding a mug of water with a lemon slice perched on the side. She didn't spare Finn another glance as she walked into the room and handed the mug to Rachel. "You ARE going to nail this audition," she said quietly. "You're going to New York, and you're going to work your ass off to get on that stage. Understand? You're going to be a Broadway diva, and I'll be front row center when you debut in Wicked."_

"_Santana—"_

_Santana put one finger to Rachel's lips. "And even if the world went mad and that didn't happen, I'd still be there. Right beside you. You may never be mine, but you should know that you are loved. I believe in you. You'll be amazing."_

_Rachel's eyes got wide as Santana stood to face Finn. _

"_You've got three seconds to get the fuck out of here before Snix comes out to play, Hudson."_

_He sneered at them, but left._

_Santana pulled Rachel to her feet. "Why did the turtle cross the road?"_

"_What?"_

"_Why did the turtle cross the road?"_

"_I…have no idea."_

"_To get to the Shell station."_

_Rachel snorted and rolled her eyes. "That's awful."_

"_I know. But crying's bad for your throat. Had to get you to smile somehow."_

_They were quiet for a long moment as Rachel sipped her water. _

"_You sent the gifts."_

"_Yep."_

"_And all the letters."_

"_All me."_

"_So the other day, when I said I might be falling in love with a stranger…"_

"_My heart skipped a beat."_

_They were quiet again. The clock ticked away, until Rachel had fifteen minutes to go._

"_Come on, let's get to the auditorium."_

"_I figured this would be where you spilled all your deep repressed feelings and asked me to give love a chance."_

_Santana grinned. "Later. Now, you have an audition to beast."_

* * *

The three girls were quiet.

"I have never wanted to kill Finn more than I do right now," Tina said finally.

"Preach," Santana said, grinning. She sobered after a second. "But our princess has a bit of post traumatic stress about the whole thing. Especially when she gets uber worried about theater stuff."

"I think…I think she's asleep," Tina said.

"Thank god…. You get some sleep too, baby girl."

Tina nodded and leaned over Rachel to kiss Santana. Snuggling back down under the covers, she gave Rachel a soft kiss before closing her eyes.


	8. Past and Future

**Take Me in Your Arms**

Tina turned the sewing machine off, yawning. "Why did I talk myself into double majoring?" she mumbled, starting to gather her things.

"Because you're super talented? One major wouldn't be enough for you."

Tina spun around and gaped at Mike. "How…what are you doing here?"

"Back for a showcase."

"I thought those were two months ago."

"Brittany's in a different dance group than I am. Anyway…I'm glad I found you. The creepy kid with the purple hair didn't seem to thrilled to point the way to the fashion design studio."

"That's Korbin. And he doesn't really trust people. He probably thought you were a serial killer. What are you doing here, though? Like here, specifically in my presence."

"Please tell me you're not mad."

"No…just confused. It's been two years. Two years, and you just show up randomly. Excuse me if my mind isn't quite following."

"I wanted to see you…I miss you."

"Michael Robert Chang—"

"No, really. These past two years have been great…but I didn't have anyone special to share it with. I mean, sure, I dated. But it wasn't the same."

"What do you want, Mike?" Tina asked tiredly. Really, she knew exactly where this was going, but she wasn't in the mood to jump to conclusions.

"I want you," he said, taking a step toward her.

She stepped back. "I've moved on."

"Tina—"

"No. When you dumped me, over Facebook chat, you said we should take a break. You said we should grow up and find ourselves, and figure out what we want in life. Well I have, Mike. And…I have the life I want. Or at least, I'm working toward the life I want. I'm happy."

"You're seeing someone else, then."

"You could definitely say that."

Mike was quiet for a moment. Finally, when the silence was so thick it was suffocating, he cleared his throat and nodded. "You're happy?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad." He reached into his bag and pulled out a flyer with tickets paperclipped to it. "My showcase is on Sunday. You should bring your boyfriend. Or bring friends, if he's busy. But I hope you'll come."

Tina took the tickets, and pulled Mike into a gentle hug. She really didn't know how to tell him.

* * *

"Here you go, Rach."

"Thanks, Brody," Rachel said, taking her tea. "Do you have your callback on Saturday?"

"Yeah…I'm terrified. I know it's not Broadway, but this playwright is supposed to be amazing. And kind of psycho," he added with a grin. He scooted a little closer to her and glanced at her notes.

"Aren't they all?" Rachel asked, laughing.

"Touché, Madame Berry. Also, is there a reason you color code your notes?"

"I like to be organized. Don't judge me."

"Right. Let's go over these lines again."

"Can we just do the song?"

"Fine with me."

Rachel was flipping through her iPod when the doorbell to the apartment rang. She slid across the hardwood floors to answer it. "No way," she whispered.

"What's wrong?"

Rachel really hated when she couldn't articulate things. She opened the door and put the full force of her frustration into a glare aimed at Finn.

"Hey Rachel," he said, giving her a small smile.

"How did you know I lived here?"

"Who's he?" Finn asked, glancing over her shoulder at Brody.

"Hardly your concern, but he's a friend from school. What are you doing here?"

"Work. I'm in sales for a tire company. I found one of your letters from Kurt when I was visiting Burt and Mom. Wrote down your address."

"Well, thanks for stopping by, but—"

"We should go out. Let me take you to dinner."

"No. I'm seeing S—"

"Who? That guy?"

"No, numb nuts," Brody said. He'd moved to Rachel's side while she was talking.

"I'm seeing Santana and Tina."

Finn made an impressive array of constipation faces before turning red. "Both of them? Wow…didn't expect college to turn you into a slut, Rachel—"

Brody shoved him into the hall. "Step off, asswipe."

"Don't fucking touch me," Finn said, trying to shove him back. It didn't work too well.

"Enough!" Rachel snapped. "Finn…you need to leave."

"How's waitressing going? Hope you'll have moved up to management by the time you graduate. Though I suppose Santana'll be fine with stripping to pay the bills."

"FU—"

Brody hopped in between Finn and Rachel. "Before I succumb to the urge to break you in half and feed you to my very impressive Husky-wolf mix, leave."

"Cute…defending them. You don't even know them. You don't know what—"

"You don't know anything, Finn!" Rachel yelled from behind Brody. She tried to get around him, but he was quite efficient at blocking her. "You're still stuck in high school. Get over it, Finn. Get over yourself."

"Rachel, be still," Brody said. He looked straight at Finn, squared his chest, and said, "I don't know your history with the girls. I don't care. What you need to know is that Rachel has been my support for four years. Tina's helped me fix more costumes last minute than I care to admit. And Santana paid my tuition for my last two years at school when my grandmother died. Nana left her money to my parents, and they weren't paying me to be a 'starving artist'. So if one more negative word comes out of your mouth about any of them, I will personally chop you into little pieces and toss you in the Hudson. And yes, I picked that river on purpose."

Finn glared at the younger man, sneered at Rachel, and left without another word.

Rachel let out the breath she'd been holding as Brody pulled her into a one-armed hug.

* * *

"Good work today, Lopez."

"Thanks, Mr. Griffin."

"Come sit down," he said, indicating a chair. He ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair and leaned back. "You're graduating in a two months, right?"

"Yes, sir."

"How would you like to be on with us full time?"

Santana's mouth dropped open.

"Listen Lopez, you know me. I don't bullshit. When you graduate, you're going to have offers coming at your right, left and center. Good offers. Offers that will probably put most of your classmates to shame. You've spent the last two years interning and building your name in this industry. I have at least two colleagues at other firms who want you. Assholes are literally refreshing Columbia's graduation info page, making sure they don't lose a minute when you all toss your caps. Luckily, I have the extreme pleasure of actually having you at the firm presently, so I don't have to wait."

"Wow…this is…I don't know what to say," Santana stammered. "I mean, of course I'd love to work for you, but…I didn't think it would happen this quickly. Or easily."

"Didn't happen easily. You put in the work, Lopez. You built your reputation. You earned this. The position I'm offering is Junior Marketing Exec. You'll be on one of the pitching teams for campaigns. You'll have the normal responsibilities associated with campaigns once they pop. And you'll have an added task of keeping up with social media outlets."

Santana stared at him. She tried to make her brain work, but it wasn't cooperating. _Get your shit together, woman! _"Er…that sounds amazing."

"Salary starts at forty grand a year."

"Really amazing."

"Take a while and think it over. Like I said…when graduation comes around, you'll be swarmed with offers. Just wanted to put a bug in your ear, if you'll forgive the phrase."

"Wrath of Khan fan?"

"Yep."

Santana grinned. "I'll think it over. Thank you, sir."

He nodded at her. "Have a good weekend, Lopez."

Santana left the office as calmly as she possibly could. She gathered her things and walked to the elevator, waving at people as she went. Once the elevator doors closed, she couldn't hold it in anymore. She had a full on silent dance party in the three by three space.

When the doors opened again, she was perfectly composed. Time to go home to her girls.


	9. Moving Forward

**Take Me in Your Arms**

Santana stared at her dad. "What are you doing here?"

"You're graduating. We're so proud of you."

"Clearly, seeing as you couldn't be bothered to even put on a clean pair of jeans, and Mom couldn't even be bothered to show up. Still the pride of parents is something a daughter usually cherishes—except for the fact that you made it perfectly clear that I'm not your daughter. You remember that, right? That whole, 'One girl would be bad enough, but you've gone and picked up two!' conversation."

"We wanted you to see the err of your ways. We never stopped loving you."

"Funny way of showing it."

"I heard about your new job. Ad man. Well…add woman. Well done."

"How did you know about that?"

"I have connections."

"What does that mean?"

"Means I know all the people you're going to know."

Santana sighed. "Are you saying you had something to do with—"

"No, no. You did that on your own. I only found out recently."

"Good. I don't want to owe you anything."

"Stubborn, aren't you?"

"I get it from my father."

"Half of the business world is who you know."

"And I'm sure you could introduce me to all the right people," Santana said. "And I'd rise through the ranks…but for what? I'd have to be on all the time, just like you. Always performing. Always making sure that I was not only in with the right people, but making those people happy. And I'd throw money at my wife, or rather, wives, and kids to make sure they just ignored the fact that I was never home. Well, I don't want it," she finished softly, smiling at his slightly astounded face. "My life isn't one that I can sweep under the rug. I won't be able to hide my family from the people it offends—and I won't try. I'm starting small, but I'm okay with staying that way. We'll figure it out. I don't need your connections. I'm not after a big name for myself. Thanks for coming."

She shouldered her way through the crowd, back to Tina and Rachel. "Let's get out of here," she said, taking off her graduation cap. "We've got some celebrating to do."

* * *

They had invited Mike, Brody and Kurt. Tina and Rachel's parents were there as well. Currently Brody and Leroy were beating Hiram and Rachel at a round of Mario Kart. Santana, Sophia, James and Tina were watching and running commentary. Tina was also explaining the finer points of her new job as assistant librarian at NYU.

Until Rachel's phone rang.

Brody was the quickest to pause the game.

Rachel was still up for Wendla (starting in June), but she was up for another part too. Fantine in _Les Miserables_. Her hands shook, and every eye was on her, as she answered the phone. "Hello?"

Tina took Santana's hand as Rachel paced around the silent room. After a few minutes of hushed conversation, she turned back to them.

"Well?" Santana asked.

"They gave Fantine to someone else," she said dejectedly.

"I'm sorry, babe," Tina said, hugging her. "It's—"

Rachel's phone rang again. She stared at it for a moment, then picked up. "Hello? Yes, hi Stuart. I did. Yeah, definitely. Are you sure? Okay…." She turned away from the group, silent as she listened to whatever Stuart was saying. After a few minutes, she turned back to them. Her face was impassive.

"Rach, honey, are you okay?" Santana asked.

"They offered me Wendla!" she said.

The room erupted into noise.

The three girls didn't leave each other's sides for the rest of the evening. They celebrated with their family, knowing they were moving forward together.

_**Fin**_


End file.
